Collective Action

Roads blocked again, tear gas fired at protesters

Tear gas was fired at protesters in north Lebanon Wednesday night, as demonstrators blocked roads once again.

The Lebanese Army fired tear gas at protesters in the Akkar town of Abdeh. Across the country, roads were blocked by protesters, tents and burning tires after being reopened earlier in the day in ongoing anti-government protests.

A dispute broke out as the Army attempted to reopen the main road that runs through the northern town, which the protesters resisted, according to the state-run National News Agency. As tensions rose, the Army fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

The Lebanese Red Cross tweeted that it had deployed to the area.

Following the incident, hundreds of protesters gathered in the town's central square.

Anti-government demonstrators also blocked the central intersection in the southern port city of Sidon, as well as roads in the Bekaa Valley and Akkar and along the Tripol-Beirut highway.

Protesters in Sidon clashed with Army soldiers attempting to open the road, leading to at least three injuries, the Lebanese Red Cross said.

The NNA reported that many schools in the city had decided to close their doors Thursday, contrary to the request of the caretaker education minister.

In Beirut, dozens of protesters blocked the "Ring Bridge" once again. Soldiers had opened the road and forced demonstrators to remove their tents Wednesday morning after more than a week of it being blocked.

In Barja, in south Lebanon, protesters agreed to clear the main highway upon the request of the local mukhtar.

A big crowd returned to Tripoli's al-Nour Square, which has been one of the most consistently occupied protest sites since the mass demonstrations began on Oct. 17.

In Beirut, turnout was low compared with previous days, but a few hundred had arrived by the evening, milling between food stands, "open discussion" tents and gathering in front of the Grand Serail.

On Wednesday morning, the Army opened the highway north of Beirut, almost an hour after its call on protesters to voluntarily clear the roads.

Soldiers moved around 50 protesters who were blocking the highway at Jal al-Dib, and took down the tents they had set up in the area. The force, which comprised more than 100 soldiers, also tried to push parked cars out of the way, before their owners voluntarily moved them.

At around 10 p.m. Wednesday, the Army deployed to the highway in Jal al-Dib once again.

In an earlier statement, the Army stressed the people’s right to “peaceful protests and freedom of expression ... in public squares only.”

Date: 
October 30, 2019
Actors/ Mobilising structures: 
Collective / informal group
Mode of Action: 
Demonstration
Road blockade
Objective: 
Revolutionary (seeking radical change across society/ political system)
Cause/ Grievances/ Framing CA: 
Access to socio-eco rights
Corruption
Policy Grievances
Spatial characteristics: 
Location on the Lebanese territory
Frequency: 
Continuous
State response: 
Repression

LBN51072

Village Name: 
Abde
Local Name: 
Al-Mehamra
Caza: 

LBN56016

Village Name: 
Tripoli
Local Name: 
Tripoli Zeitoun
Caza: 
Associated HRV: 
31164

LBN36106

Village Name: 
Jall Ed Dib
Local Name: 
Jal-el-Dib
Caza: 

LBN11061

Village Name: 
BCD
Local Name: 
Beirut Central District
Caza: 
Associated HRV: 
14408

LBN33024

Village Name: 
Barja
Local Name: 
Barja
Caza: 
Associated HRV: 
27705

LBN61100

Village Name: 
Saida
Local Name: 
Saeida Ville
Caza: 
Associated HRV: 
26100

LBN55040

Village Name: 
El Beddaoui
Local Name: 
Al-Beddaoui

LBN55067

Village Name: 
Kfar Habou
Local Name: 
Kfar Habou

LBN57066

Village Name: 
Miryata
Local Name: 
Mehriata
Caza: 
Associated HRV: 
23285

LBN55045

Village Name: 
El Minie
Local Name: 
Al-Minieh
Associated HRV: 
26068

LBN56012

Village Name: 
Tabbaneh
Local Name: 
Tripoli Al-Tabbaneh
Caza: